Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Cole Palmer will be sidelined for the next week after suffering a broken toe in a domestic accident at home.
Palmer, 23, was close to a return to first team action after recovering from a groin injury that had ruled him out of action since September.
The England international was expected to play a part in the midweek UEFA Champions League clash against Barcelona, but has now been ruled out of the Blues next three games.
“Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe but it is nothing important – but he won’t be back in the next week”, Maresca confirmed in his prematch conference.
“We don’t know. [His toe] It’s fractured. The only thing we know: he is not available for this week and next week. The last time I saw him was [Thursday] morning and he was without socks, without flip-flops, without nothing. He wasn’t limping too much.
He was walking OK but the problem is it is the small toe. The contact with the boot can be a bit painful.”
Palmer has endured an injury-troubled campaign and has been unavailable since coming off in the 21st minute of Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in September.
The Blues face Burnley on Saturday, before playing Spanish champions Barcelona in the UCL on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old will also miss next weekend’s league clash against rivals Arsenal, with no timeline placed on his recovery for now.
“The team prefer it when Cole is playing, I feel much better with Cole on the pitch but when he is not we need to find solutions”, Maresca added.
“The team is doing fantastic, really well. For any manager, it’s nice when you miss a player but the team still plays in the way you want it to.”
Chelsea head to Turf Moor in Saturday’s early kickoff for a date against newly-promoted Burnley, hoping for a win to continue their rise up the standings.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
